Widely different kinds and designs of banknote handling apparatus and banknote handling arrangements have earlier been described in various documents, of which the following documents can be mentioned by way of example.
U.K. Patent Specification 2,007,626 (1979) describes a banknote dispensing apparatus in which banknotes are dispensed from a common banknote store to four different outfeed locations, i.e. to customer outlets. In the case of excessive withdrawals, the banknote store will be emptied more quickly than was calculated and therewith require the apparatus to be temporarily closed down.
U.S. Pat. 4,365,700 (1982) teaches a combined banknote receiving and dispensing machine. In the case of this machine, however, banknotes cannot be deposited and dispensed to several customers at one and the same time, due to the external design of the machine, therewith requiring a customer to choose between the deposit and withdrawal of banknotes while other customers must wait their turn.
Swedish Patent Specification 464 215 (1990) teaches a message receiving device, which includes a sheet store, printing mechanism and a store of enveloping or enclosing material for enclosing printed message sheets, all included in a closed casing.
Swedish Patent Application 9600801-6 (1997) teaches a banknote handler for the infeed, outfeed and storage of banknotes, including an infeed station, an outfeed station and a storage station.
One of the disadvantages of these earlier apparatus and also of other apparatus available in practice is that they cause the formation of queues or lines, resulting in irritation of the waiting customers.